DEEPDALE residents are 'mucking in' to help clean up the area following complaints about litter.

They claim the council is ignoring the mess which mounts up around the Blackpool Road area and say council workers are not removing rubbish left behind by litter louts -- in particular that left behind after Preston North End home matches.

Now, people living on Cam Street are taking the matter in their own hands and taking to the streets in an attempt to rid the area of litter.

Councillor Terry Cartwright says he has received dozens of formal complaints about the problem.

He said: "I've been told by residents that the road sweeper just drives straight past some streets off Blackpool Road.

"People living on Cam Street are out themselves each week sweeping up. There was horse manure on Deepdale Road from police horses following Preston's home match on Bank Holiday Monday. It's absolutely awful." He said that Deepdale retail park suffered the same problem. "People buy takeaways and just dump the leftovers on the street," he said.

"The council should be making sure this area is cleaned. People from all over Lancashire come to the business park so we should be making sure that it's at least clean."

Adrian Phillips, assistant director of Preston Borough Council's works department, said: "We sent out an inspector to check the area as soon as we received the complaints.

"The streets are swept on a weekly basis but we act quickly to deal with any problems.

"Anyone who spots a problem with street cleaning should contact the council on (01772) 906784."